How did "General George" Patton defeat the Germans in the "Battle of Sorrow"?

On December 16, Germany assembled another 25 divisions and launched a sudden counterattack against the Allies in the Ardennes region, which was the so-called "Battle of Sorrow." The U.S. 1st Army was caught off guard and the Germans broke through the defense line, allowing the Germans to advance 50 kilometers. Regarding this kind of German counterattack, Patton had already noticed the general direction of its action based on the intelligence gathered by the German army. He had ordered the staff to draw up a plan in advance to have the 3rd Army give up its advance eastward and prepare to attack Luxembourg in the north to hit the German flank. On December 20, Eisenhower held a meeting in Verdun to plan how to deal with this German counterattack. When Eisenhower asked Patton when his troops could launch an attack on the German flank, Patton replied that they could attack north within 48 hours. The attendees were all surprised, because moving an army from east to north is a very complicated task. Major changes must be made to the use of roads and the supply system. This is impossible to do in a short time, so Eisenhower After hearing Patton's assurance, he said unconvincingly: "George, don't be ridiculous!" "" But Patton quickly mobilized his troops because he was well prepared and launched an attack on the German army in the early morning of December 22. He used one corps to reinforce American positions in Luxembourg City and two others to relieve the American paratrooper division besieged in Bastogne. Regardless of the bad weather, Patton drove the troops forward at full speed and ran as hard as they could. On December 26, the first batch of armored units took the lead in breaking into the city of Bastogne, which was besieged by the Germans. They repelled the German siege of the city and saved this important transportation hub. At this time, the weather began to improve, and the Allied forces dispatched a large number of aircraft to bomb the German troops and their lines of communication. By the end of January 1945, due to the Soviet offensive on the Eastern Front, the German army was unable to look at each other, and the "Sorrowful War" collapsed in Germany's sorrow. The battle lines of the two major American armies were reconnected, and Patton's attack to rescue the siege became a masterpiece in military history.

After the German counterattack was crushed, the Allied Command decided to let Montgomery lead the British army to launch the main attack on the German army in the north, while Patton's army group defended in place. Patton was very angry with this arrangement, believing it to be a distrust of his own combat capabilities. He also believed that this was not conducive to a comprehensive attack on the German army. So Patton still ordered the troops to advance eastward parallel to the British troops on the southern front and the northern front. On March 12, when the British troops on the northern front captured Trier in western Germany, General Patton's troops also attacked the Rhine River in the south and eliminated the German troops west of the river.

In order to break through the Siegfried Line and penetrate deep into the German hinterland to expand the results, Patton urgently needed to add an armored division. On March 16, when Eisenhower's plane stopped briefly at Patton's airport due to snow and wind, Patton did his best to entertain the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces, making him very happy and promised to send Patton another armored unit. division. After increasing his strength, Patton immediately marched north along the Rhine River, aiming directly at Mainz and Coblenz. In this lightning-fast advance, Patton's 3rd Army broke through the German Siegfried Line, defeated the two German armies and annihilated most of them. On the night of March 22, Patton took advantage of the victory to pursue the German army and crossed the Rhine River, which the Germans regarded as a defensive barrier. The 3rd Army crossed the river before the British army and established two bridgeheads. Patton was once again very excited about defeating the British army. After repelling the German counterattack and consolidating the bridgehead, Patton shouted on the phone to Bradley: "Hurry and announce to the world that we have crossed the river!" "I want the world to know that the 3rd Army crossed the Rhine before Montgomery!"

In April 1945, the German army The defense of Germany had completely collapsed, and the Allied Command deployed the final action against Germany. Bradley's Army Group continued to attack northeast, deep into the interior of Germany, heading straight to the Elbe and Mulde rivers, and until Leipzig and Dresden joins forces with the Soviet army. Patton led the 3rd Army and quickly advanced to the western border of Czechoslovakia, but according to the agreement reached by the Allies, the US military could not enter the Czech territory. At this time, the Allied Forces Command received intelligence that some Nazis were building a so-called "national defense fortress" in the Alps, gathering troops and supplies in an attempt to continue the war, and ordered Patton to change the direction of the advance to eliminate the enemies there. On April 17, Patton learned in the newspaper that he was promoted to a four-star general. He was very happy. On April 20, in accordance with the order of the Allied Command, Patton led the 3rd Army to launch a powerful offensive to the southwest. It turned out that this "National Defense Fortress" was just a vulnerable military fortress.

After the Soviet army invaded Berlin on May 2, Patton once again hoped to lead the army into Prague, the Czech capital. However, Bradley received an order from Eisenhower to resolutely stop Patton from violating the agreement reached with the Soviet Union. The act of agreement, despite Patton's loud protests, had no effect. When the European War ended on May 9, Patton became the military governor of the German state of Bavaria. He was praised throughout Europe for his outstanding military exploits. When he returned to the United States, he became the most popular general among the American people after Eisenhower.